Isis woke late in the morning, sitting on the edge of her bed and mulling over the immense changes in her life. She was now officially queen, not High Queen yet[i], but she would be someday. She had much to learn about the intrigue among the Pharaoh's court and who played what roles. She wondered when she would be meeting the other officials and more importantly, she eagerly anticipated meeting her predecessor, the current High Queen and the Pharaoh's mother. She had heard so many things about the woman: how she had reestablished the roles of the priestesses[ii], how she had taken pity on the young boy the entire priesthood thought would destroy the world. Granted, her husband had died right before he was about to declare a war which she disapproved of, but Isis did not believe the two were related. Still, she had a lot to live up to.
A young girl stepped in her doorway, delicately clearing her throat. Isis turned to look at her. "My lady, your escort is waiting for you." Her escort? Escort for what? No one had informed her about this situation. "My lady," the girl bowed before her, "he is waiting for you in the common room." She hesitated, her unfamiliarity with the girl making her wary, but in the end she realized the only way she would get any answers was to see exactly who was waiting for her.
She stood up, slipping her sandals on. The girl curtsied, averting her gaze as Isis passed her. Stepping into the common room, Isis took a deep breath to calm herself. She could never have been prepared for what was waiting for her. She recoiled slightly, crossing her arms across her chest. "You again." Scowling, she silently asked the gods why they were putting her through this torture. Wasn't it enough that she had given up everything to begin a new life in a place where she knew no one and most people would not dare approach her?
"Good morning, my lady," Kaiba said, followed by the type of grin that gave her the shivers. "I trust you slept well?"
She wondered how much he knew about the previous night's evens and contemplated he drew his own conclusions from what he knew about the Pharaoh already. "Yes, I did, thank you." She refused to let some boy get the better of her. "After I had a fascinating conversation with Jounouchi." Her suspicions about who the "ill-mannered bitch" was were confirmed when Kaiba frowned at her with his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Now, Priest Kaiba, I do believe you are to be escorting me somewhere?"
She distinctly heard a low growl issuing from his general direction. Wow, he must really hate that boy. He cleared his throat and straightened. "Yes. As I'm sure you don't know there are certain formalities that must be taken care of." Hmmm, how much would it take to be permanently rid of him? "If my lady will follow me…" He left and Isis obstinately stayed where she was. She began to keep count of how long it was taking him to realize she was not following him. When she got to fifty, he strode back into the room. "Exactly what do you think you are doing?" He stopped only a foot away from her.
"You didn't say please," she informed him coolly. Now that she had a higher station than him[iii], she was not going to withstand his ill treatment of her. "You should remember that I am a queen and it would be wise to treat me as such."
He glowered at her and she gazed steadfastly back. She was not going to give in to him; she refused to be weak. She knew eventually she would win as they continued to stare each other down. What he didn't realize was his ice-cold stare did not intimidate her. "If my lady would please follow me, I would be most honored for the Pharaoh has asked me to introduce you," he said with bitter contempt.
Well, at least the words were nice and she figured that was the most she would receive from him at the moment. Nodding her consent, she followed him this time when he left the room. "There are only three places you really need to remember where they are. Anyplace else and I'm sure someone else will gladly escort you," he informed her as they walked slowly down the hall with her a little to the left and behind. "First of all are the royal chambers. That is where you, the Pharaoh and his other wives will be staying. Just remember, you are the first so you will have powers over the others if and when he marries another. I am sure you won't have any problem with that," he said bitterly.
"For once, I agree with you." She followed him out into the morning sun, walking across an expansive courtyard. To her left was a clear smooth lake reflecting everything that shone upon it. The water was crystalline blue, and the steps leading into the lake were made of the finest alabaster stone. "It's beautiful," she whispered in appreciation, stopping to stare across the expanse of water. On the other side was a walkway similar to the one they were on and she could barely see some of the priests walking slowly.
Kaiba came to stand by her, surprisingly giving her time to enjoy the scenery. "Ah, yes, the Sacred Lake. Some of the priestesses tend to meditate around here often." He closed his eyes and smirked. "Some of those young novices would have made a better queen than you." She did not respond to him. For one thing, it was partially true. Granted, her theological background was slim and she knew that was an important part of being a queen[iv]. Perhaps one of the priestesses would be willing to teach her a few things.
"The next place you need to know about is the temple complex. I should warn you, we run things a bit differently here. Anyone in the city can come to worship the god of his or her choice. We don't specialize, so therefore, everything and everyone is covered." He started walking away, gesturing for her to follow him. After taking one last lingering look at the lake, she fell into step behind him. "As a priest, I follow the commands of the High Priest or the Pharaoh. The priestesses have their own High Priestess Lulu whom you will be meeting very shortly." He paused for a brief moment. "I suppose you two will find you have much in common."
If she needed to know anything else about Priestess Lulu, apparently he was not planning on telling her. She followed him up a set of marble stones, warily glancing at the golden sphinx's guarding either side of the doorway. Inside, she found it much easier to relax. He had obviously led her straight into the heart of the temple complex. Priests and priestesses scurried past on either side of them and a few would even stop long enough to exchange a few words with Kaiba. Eventually, the amount of people thinned and Kaiba once again chose to speak with her. "This is the priestesses' living quarters. Earlier we passed through the main part of the temple complex. All the shrines are on either side of the Sacred Lake. Lulu's rooms are at the far end of the Priestess' Wing."
At least he was obliging his duty to her. He could have remained silent for the entire escort and then she would have remained clueless about her surroundings. The walls were covered in tapestries, some depicting important scenes in history. Some of them she recognized from her lessons. "Mother, why must you continue to claim Mai as your heir? I am old enough to start learning the responsibilities of the High Priestess."
"Aurora, it is just a formality. When the court feel you are ready, I will name you as my heir." Kaiba stopped and Isis wondered if that was where they were going or if he just wanted to eavesdrop. However, the girl did mention something about the High Priestess' heir. "You are dismissed. I am sure you have duties you must attend to."
"High Priestess Lulu and her daughter, Aurora. There's not a more wonderful family in the entire empire." Well, she had discovered she was not the only one Kaiba spoke sarcastically about. Perhaps there was hope for him after all. A shorter female, wearing the typical novice priestess robes with the hood up, stepped out of the nearest doorway. She looked as if she were going to walk past them until Kaiba said, "Good morning, Aurora. Family problems?"
Isis saw the girl clench her fist at her side, and she thought the girl was going to bring it in contact with the side of his face. That was a sight she would have enjoyed watching. "Aurora, this is your new queen," he said gesturing to Isis. The girl relaxed and Isis frowned at Kaiba. She wanted to see Aurora punch him. "Are you not going to lower your hood for her?"
The girl pushed back her hood, revealing a mane of thick, natural, dark hair, and intense green eyes[v]. "I am honored to meet you, your highness." She curtsied low to the ground. "I am sorry, but I must go. The High Priestess has assigned me to a very important task which must be taken care of right away."
She pulled her hood back up as she walked steadily away from them. "Polite young woman, isn't she?" Isis fought the urge to point out the fact that the priestess had only been being impolite to him. To her, it was a small satisfaction to know other people were not overly fond of him. "Brace yourself, you are about to meet the High Bitch herself," he mumbled. Impudent, wasn't he?
He led her into the room the girl had come out of, quickly stepping to the side. Isis wondered what kind of woman could make him behave in such a fashion, and hoped she would give her tips. The woman in front of her stood tall and proud, with her long black wig flowing halfway down her back. Her dark brown eyes bore down on her, though Isis noticed her eyes were not nearly as heartless as Kaiba's. Her eyes flicked to Kaiba who was still standing against the wall and afterwards, settle on Isis. "I suppose you are the new Queen. They told me I would be meeting you sometime today." Isis nodded firmly even though her insides were shaking violently. "I am Lulu, High Priestess. May I ask your name?"
She glanced over her shoulder at Kaiba who promptly avoided her gaze. So much for the brave priest who was supposed to give his life for the royal family. "My name is Isis."
"What a beautiful name," Lulu murmured, turning away to a chest in the corner. Isis carefully watched her, placing her hands behind her back. Lulu unhooked the lid, pulling something out covered in a blue silk cloth. "The Pharaoh's mother gave this to me many years ago, shortly after the Pharaoh was given that boy." Lulu began to slowly make her way back towards Isis. "You see, she wanted her son's first wife to have this but she feared her husband would do something to it if she did not hide it from him. I have been holding onto this ever since and now, it is time I give it to you." She stopped directly in front of Isis. This was a woman to be respected. Lulu slowly pulled the silk cloth away, revealing a beautiful gold crown with turquoise insets. "Wear it well," Lulu said, placing the crown on Isis' head. "Never forget who you are. Do not let anyone intimidate you." Lulu glared over at Kaiba. "Most importantly, watch out for that boy there."
She kissed Isis lightly on the forehead. "I will," Isis promised. She wasn't sure how long she would be able to keep that promise but she was going to try. In any case, the last part was easy.
"Kaiba, do not take her to meet the High Priest today. He is not feeling very well and I do not feel it would be very pleasant experience for either one of them." He nodded, walking out the door. "Oh, dear. He has gone and forgotten his manners again." Isis' mouth twitched downward. "You had better follow him. Good luck, Queen Isis."
Isis nodded solemnly before following Kaiba. She caught up with him after a few seconds, falling into stride beside him. "What took you so long?"
"Lulu was expressing how much she hated you." Isis knew it was probably dangerous to be testing him in such a manner; however, from what she had seen of their interactions, her conclusion did not seem that far from the truth. Surely stranger things had been suggested.
"Ah, yes. The unwanted hatred of a High Priestess." He seemed to be having a calm reaction. A little too relaxed for her liking. Exactly what was going on with this place? Was there anything normal here? "She didn't happen to tell you why she hates me, did she?"
The question caught Isis off guard. Was he actually initiating a conversation with her? "No. Why?"
"I see," he said smoothly. "Perhaps you two don't have as much in common as I originally thought. You at least waited until you met me before hating me." His statement seemed odd to her. Why would the High Priestess hate him before she met him? Would anything ever make sense? She followed him in silence for a while, every so often looking at the people who were scurrying past them. Most avoided looking at them, but she grimaced whenever one of the girls would smile fondly at Kaiba. Wonderful, the temple condoned usage of mind-altering drugs. "I think Yuugi should be in a meeting with a foreign ambassador from Asia at the moment. We should be able to watch the rest of it. The mother-power-puppy spectacular is usually entertaining."
"Mother-power-puppy?" she asked, gracefully arching an eyebrow. That was a very interesting combination.
"The mother-power-puppy trick. Yuugi uses it all the time when he is dealing with foreigners. First, he introduces them to his mother. Next, he brings out the power act. When all else fails, they bring out the puppy. With any luck we will get there just in time to see the mutt make an ass out of himself."
She knew without a doubt he was referring to Jounouchi. After all, bitch and mutt could be used interchangeably when referring to a female dog. Still, how using a slave could tip the scale in the Pharaoh's direction was beyond her. Soon, she found they were headed towards the same room where she had first met the Pharaoh. Kaiba stepped to the side, gesturing for her to stand beside him. "Good, we haven't missed it."
The Pharaoh was sitting on his throne, looking quite bored with his face rested in his right hand and a chain wrapped around his left hand. On the other end of that chain was Jounouchi, collared, wearing gold jewelry and a plain white linen kilt. Isis thought the collar must be extremely painful, and she suddenly understood the term "puppy," but Jounouchi didn't seem to mind much. Standing before them was a man she did not recognize, most likely the foreign ambassador, judging from his strange clothing. "Your lordship, you are not understanding the issue," the man protested. "You have several of our people captive as slaves and we want them back."
"You make is sound liked we are mistreating them," Yuugi replied, straightening himself up. "Did you ever think maybe they do not want to go back?"
"Generally the word slave has a very negative-"
"Do you see this boy here?" Yuugi said, gesturing towards Jounouchi. Jounouchi placed his head on Yuugi's knee and gave the ambassador a small smile. "Does he look unhappy to you?" Yuugi asked, placing his hand on the back of Jounouchi's head[vi].
"Well, no."
"Does he look like he has been mistreated?" Yuugi leaned down to Jounouchi's level, nuzzling his nose. "I don't mistreat you, do I?" With a small whimper, Jounouchi shook his head. "No." Resting his hand on Jounouchi's shoulder, Yuugi sat back up. "Does this look like an unhappy relationship?"
Isis grimaced as the man began to apologize profusely. "Disgustingly cute, aren't they?" She glared at Kaiba and he chuckled. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot. He probably spent his time with the bitch instead of with you. I'm sure if you ask nicely they might let you join them sometime."
She turned on him, anger flaring up inside of her. He was going way too far with his attitude. She was likely to kill him at that moment. "Ah, Isis, Kaiba, how kind of you to join us."
Isis turned her attention back to the Pharaoh, fuming about her missed chance at killing the priest. The ambassador had left and she could distinctly hear the receding sounds of a man's sobbing. Well, they must have really sent him on a guilt trip. Yuugi's hand was still resting casually on Jounouchi's shoulder. "Good morning, Yuugi," she said, curtseying towards him.
"I hope Kaiba hasn't driven you insane yet." Not quite, she thought ruefully as the Pharaoh laughed softly. "Hopefully he remembered to escort you. I see you have meet Lulu," he said, gesturing to the crown on her head. She nodded. "Um, Kaiba, I don't have any more important meetings today so I think Jounouchi are going to head out for the rest of the day."
"Yes, of course. And what shall I do with your Queen in the meantime?" Right, like she really wanted to spend any more time with him.
"I am sure she is quite capable of taking care of herself," Yuugi insisted. "Besides, you need to be attending to your duties, and I cannot remember the last time I have had a day off."
"Good idea." Isis was having trouble believing Kaiba was actually concerned about the Pharaoh's feelings. "I will see you later, your Majesty." He bowed before gracefully exiting, Isis glaring at him all the while.
Yuugi leaned down to unhook Jounouchi's collar. "See you later, Isis!" he called cheerfully. With that, he practically bounded out of the room, Jounouchi following close behind him.
"They really need to stop doing this to me," Isis said, looking around her at the now empty room. Even having Kaiba around would have been better than nobody. "Now what do I do?" Of course nobody was going to answer her, unless on of the statues magically came to life. Her eyes drifted to the golden hawk statue above the Pharaoh's throne[vii]. The hawk was so finely crafted it seemed as if it could take wing at any moment. "Horus," she whispered softly. The son of the goddess Isis. The emerald eyes bore down on, almost as if he was judging her. The sunlight sparkled of the hawk's eyes, making it gleam, and in a flash of insight, Isis knew where she should be. With silent thanks to Horus, she turned and started back towards the temple complex.
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"Hey, get off me! I have every right to be here!" Kaiba sighed, changing his direction to the sounds of protest. The guards were really starting to get out of control. Sometimes he thought the just like to manhandle the younger girls by as a result, they only ended up causing problems. "Leave me alone!"
He knew exactly what he was going to find; some of the younger guards surrounding a young girl and attempting to drag her away. No surprise to him when that was what he found. "What do you think you are doing?"
The guards dropped their charge, hastily backing away from the girl now kneeling in the sand. "Gracious Kaiba, we were just taking care of meaningless pheasant matters. We caught this girl trying to sneak into the temple."
Kaiba arched an eyebrow. Exactly how did people sneak into the temple when the main complex had free access to any one who wanted to use it? "I wasn't!" the girl protested, standing up and dusting herself off. Her intense blue eyes glared at the two guards[viii].
"I have more important things to deal with than perverted guards," Kaiba informed them coolly. "Now get out of here before I contact your supervisor."
The guards scampered off, neither one of them looking back. "Thank you," the girl said, clasping her hands together. "I get lost easily."
Kaiba scowled at her. "I don't have time to be dealing with the likes of you either. Go find one of the priestesses. I'm sure they'll help you find where you need to be."
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Yuugi stroked Winddancer's nose, whispering in the horse's ear[ix]. The horse pawed at the sand, whickering softly. "It's okay, girl. You are going to be getting some exercise today." He heard another horse coming in his direction and in reflex, hid behind Winddancer, peering over the mare's neck. He was relieved to find it was only Jounouchi, leading a brown horse behind him. "What took you so long?" He stepped out from behind Winddancer.
"Do you have any idea how many guards are roaming around today?" Yuugi shook his head. Of course, it was to be expected. Kaiba had probably told somebody something. Either that or something was actually going on. Oh well, he was desperate to get out of there, and, besides, if there was a problem, he knew his mother was perfectly capable of taking care of it. He placed his hand on Winddancer's saddle, waiting for Jounouchi to take the hint. It wasn't his fault he was so short and they had decided to give him the tallest horse they could find. "Sorry," Jounouchi apologized, hurrying over to Yuugi. Yuugi felt Jounouchi's strong arms wrapping around his waist, lifting him up, and helping him into the saddle. "You okay?" he asked, patting him on the back.
"Great, now let's get out of here," he said, glancing back over his shoulder. They really hated it when he went riding off "alone." He wasn't alone; he had Jounouchi with him, though apparently the court didn't think that was enough protection for him. It wasn't like anyone knew where they went. He always felt perfectly safe.
"My King! Please don't leave!" Yuugi sighed, turning to look at the guard standing just outside the gate.
He turned towards Jounouchi who was still standing on the ground next to the horse. After the blond glanced over his shoulder, he turned to the Pharaoh with a mischievous grin. "I think we can outrun them." He never ceased to surprise Yuugi. Thinking about it, the guard was on foot and they both had horses. He nodded his consent, watching as Jounouchi vaulted into the saddle. Yuugi spurred Winddancer into a run, vaguely hearing the guard shouting something after them.
Gradually, the only sound he could hear was the pounding of the horses' hooves on the sand and he slowed Winddancer to a leisurely walk. "I think we're going to be in trouble when we get back." The slave pulled his horse alongside Winddancer, and Yuugi smiled broadly at him.
"You might be in trouble, but they won't do anything to me. You see, I'm just a lowly salve and I didn't have any choice in the matter."
"I don't think they'll accept that excuse," Yuugi said, shaking his head. Jounouchi pouted at him. "If anything, they may think it was your idea and you are a bad influence on me."
Jounouchi folded his arms across his chest. "I don't like the way this system works. Besides, aren't you supposed to be in charge?" Yuugi shrugged, patting the side of Winddancer's neck. "You know something? I'd rather not talk about it at the moment."
Yuugi turned his head to the side, trying to discover what was the source of his friend's sudden mood change, only to find his friend was no longer there. "Huh? Jounouchi?" He turned Winddancer around in the hopes of finding his companion. He was still there and thankfully still on the horse's back, but the horse was standing perfectly still, obstinately staring over its shoulder. "Um, Jounouchi?" he asked as the other boy vainly attempted to get the horse moving again with several kicks to its sides.
"Animals must really hate me," he said dejectedly as the horse snorted at him. Yuugi felt really sorry for him sometimes. Perhaps he should look into getting Jounouchi his own horse; no one would ever have to know what it was for. At least then they wouldn't constantly get stuck with the ones who persistently caused problems for them. With a sigh, Yuugi went over to the other horse. Carefully, he took the reins from Jounouchi's hands, clucking softly to the horse as he started Winddancer in a slow walk. After he got the horse moving again, he handed the reins back to Jounouchi. "Thanks, Yuugi," the slave said sheepishly, trying to avoid the Pharaoh's eyes, yet he kept glancing up at him.
"It's not a problem," Yuugi reassure him. Actually, Jounouchi had been having a lot of problems with horses recently. Was there anyway he could fix that problem? "I think you need more riding lessons," he said suddenly. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he flushed.
"I don't think that would go over too well," the slave responded, shaking his head.
He had a point. The court would never approve riding lessons for a slave and he doubted he would find anyone else who wouldn't be cowering in fear the entire time. "Unless of course, I decided I need a tune-up in my own lessons," he said slyly. Jounouchi had often sat in on Yuugi's lessons in the past, and maybe he could pull a few tricks while at the lesson to get Jounouchi involved as well. "I may have a few problems while riding today. I may have to fall off Winddancer a couple of times." Jounouchi grinned broadly at him. "Just make sure you catch me," he said, reaching over to pat the slave's upper arm.
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The temple complex was huge and slightly confusing. However, there was only one person she was looking for. Horus had shown her the way, and told her there was only one person in the temple complex she could currently trust. She made her way into the library, and stopped for a moment, awed by the sheer number of books and scrolls. "Where are you?" she whispered softly. Novices were sitting at tables with large books in front of them, and papyrus and bottles of ink beside them. She began moving again, guided only by her instincts. She saw the familiar robes of the priestess, and the long natural black hair that was so rare, standing next to the shelves and leafing through a book. "Aurora," she called, approaching her.
The girl looked up at her, her eyes widening slightly. "Lady Isis." Of course, the girl would not be expecting her. However, the girl quickly recovered from her initial surprise. "How may I serve you?"
"I was wondering if you could help me with my theology," Isis admitted. It was difficult for her to ask for help from a girl younger than herself. Her father would have found it demeaning. Well, embarrassing herself in front of the courts would be even more demeaning. "I'm afraid I'm not very good."
The girl seemed unnerved to be hearing such a statement from a queen. However, Isis was relieved to hear her agree. "Where should we begin?"
"The beginning seems like a good place."
[i] A marriage in Egypt officially took place when the two in question moved in with each other. There was no fancy ceremony or anything. The Pharaoh's mother would remain the High Queen until she died, at which point the Pharaoh's first wife would take over the job. Normally, also, the royal bloodline is traced through the female (Isis, Osiris, Horus reference) and one of the sons would marry the oldest daughter to become Pharaoh. However, in my story Yuugi is an only child and therefore had to go outside for his marriage.
[ii] Priestess played a major role in the Old Kingdom then sort of fizzled out. However, they were reinstated in the Middle Kingdom, only to be fizzled out again towards the end of the MK.
[iii] Kings and Queens were considered gods in Egypt. Priests and Priestesses were only messengers of the gods. Therefore, all Queens and the Pharaoh were higher in station than a priest. Oddly enough, the Pharaoh's children are not gods unless one of them takes over.
[iv] As stated before, a Queen was a goddess to her people; therefore, an understanding of religion would be very important for a Queen.
[v] Notice that Aurora's hair is natural; just one of the many things that make her unique. For the most part, the only people who kept their natural hair were those of the lower class. Actually, Isis has her natural hair too but that's just because she can pull it off and no one would know the difference.
[vi] Depending upon the personality of the master, slaves in Egypt could have it really good. There have been cases where slaves have been left in the will of the master who died. As for the Pharaoh's personal slave, it was not unheard of for him to sleep at the foot of the Pharaoh's bed. Though those slaves were generally eunuchs, (but do you really want me to do that to Jounouchi) and there are other, more sinister reasons as to why Jounouchi isn't one.
[vii] Horus was one of the gods most commonly associated with the Pharaoh, mainly because Isis and Osiris were the first King and Queen and Horus was the name of their son. Actually, Horus was kind of like the first Hamlet in a way.
[viii] Yes, this is Kisara; I'm trying to keep this as close to the original story as possible while making it better. I think Kisara and Kaiba are going to end up sharing a different kind of relationship than most people think they will.
[ix] Horses were introduced to Egypt during the Middle Kingdom so it is plausible that Yuugi owned a horse.
~ How do you like your Egyptology 101 crash course? Or are you just screaming "Thank god! It's finally over!" Anyway, remember to review and tell me what you think.